Can you change color of hardwood floors without sanding.

[adriedel]

Im having a baby in a couple months and want to get rid of my carpet. My wife also wants to make the hardwood a little darker. I was wondering if there is anyway to do that without sanding the floor. Its not in bad shape. Any help to save me from having to sand the floor would be great.

Thanks

 

[BigGoat]

If they are varnished, you would have to strip it, then you could strain darker, then re-varnish. Or you could paint them if that is an option.

 

[bethebrew]

Im having a baby in a couple months and want to get rid of my carpet. My wife also wants to make the hardwood a little darker. I was wondering if there is anyway to do that without sanding the floor. Its not in bad shape. Any help to save me from having to sand the floor would be great.

Thanks

Tell your wife that any treatment to darken the floor will involve sanding, staining, and refinishing.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Seriously, what's with people with dark hardwood now? Like oak is "so 50s" or something. Well it's traditional.

Did that help?

 

[BigGoat]

I personally would do it the right way once and be done. Refinishing hardwood floors is a lot of work, but worth the effort.

 

[IslandLizard]

There are floor varnishes that have "stain" (color) in them. Just put on a coat of the tint you like. Since varnishes are transparent, the tint is cumulative. You will have to light sand or dull the surface enough for the new varnish to stick.

Now, if you use solvent based varnish, the smell will linger for a long time. Depending on when the baby is "due," you may not be able to air the room out enough.

You could use a water based varnish instead which have very little VOCs, but they tend to be pricey (e.g. Bona Kemi, see "floor mechanics" website) and I'm not sure about their available color selection. The cheaper ones (like Parks, @Home Depot) tend to dry to a hazy appearance, which you may not like.

 

[Grannyknot]

Chances are, the fumes from an oil based stain or polyurethane are going to be slightly harmful to your pregnant wife & unborn child.

Unless you are planning on her (& all your furniture) being out of the house for a week or more, I would scrap the idea. But if you are dead set on it, IslandLizard's light sanding method would work.

I wouldn't use a water based sealer on floors. It just wont dry hard enough to keep from scuffing every time you move a piece of furniture over it or a dog trots through. I suppose if you did 5+ coats, it might be more effective. This is why 2 or 3 coats of oil based polyurethane is the commonly used method.

 

[agrazela]

My advice, wait 18+ years until all your kids are grown and moved out, THEN start thinking about making the house look nice and having nice things.

 

[IslandLizard]

[...]I wouldn't use a water based sealer on floors. It just wont dry hard enough to keep from scuffing every time you move a piece of furniture over it or a dog trots through. I suppose if you did 5+ coats, it might be more effective. This is why 2 or 3 coats of oil based polyurethane is the commonly used method.

I wasn't talking about "wimpy" sealers, but water-based varnishes. The only thing I am not sure about is how well the Bona Kemi stuff will stick to an existing varnish, and how much it needs to be roughed up. But once dry (<1 day) you've got a glass-hard finish. You would need 2 coats.

Now on the other hand, when the baby grows out of laying in the crib, he or she wants to play and roll on the floor, extensively. Carpet is a lot easier on the skin and joints than hard flooring, also warmer. Same benefits for mommy and daddy.

An all cotton carpet for the first few years would be my ideal.

 

[Eugenio]

There are floor varnishes that have "stain" (color) in them. Just put on a coat of the tint you like. Since varnishes are transparent, the tint is cumulative. You will have to light sand or dull the surface enough for the new varnish to stick.

Now, if you use solvent based varnish, the smell will linger for a long time. Depending on when the baby is "due," you may not be able to air the room out enough.

You could use a water based varnish instead which have very little VOCs, but they tend to be pricey (e.g. Bona Kemi, see "floor mechanics" website) and I'm not sure about their available color selection. The cheaper ones (like Parks, @Home Depot) tend to dry to a hazy appearance, which you may not like.

The problem with doing this is wear and tear on the floor will be even more noticeable since you will have just a small film being the dark color. wear patterns will be very noticeable with the light base

 

[adriedel]

Thanks for the tips guys. I might just use the medthod where you scuff it up with steel wool a little and reseal it.

 

[bethebrew]

Thanks for the tips guys. I might just use the medthod where you scuff it up with steel wool a little and reseal it.

Good luck trying to scuff it up then coat it darker and evenly. I suspect you will be sad. Don't do it! You have been warned.

Now if it's poly, and you scuff it and go back over with clear poly, then that's one thing. You need to rough up the surface for the next coat to adhere.

 

[IslandLizard]

Good luck trying to scuff it up then coat it darker and evenly. I suspect you will be sad. Don't do it! You have been warned.

Now if it's poly, and you scuff it and go back over with clear poly, then that's one thing. You need to rough up the surface for the next coat to adhere.

Right!

I'm sure that poly comes in tints, or can be tinted, 'cause that's the whole reason the OP started this.

 

[bethebrew]

Right!

I'm sure that poly comes in tints, or can be tinted, 'cause that's the whole reason the OP started this.

Staining existing wood is tricky. Even taking it down to bare wood, it's hard to get things to match. That's why people use a pre-conditioner to get the stain to apply evenly. This is for wood that is bare.

If you scuff it, then you have created an uneven surface even less likely to accept a darker tint. If the original coating was varnish, then going back over with poly particularly a darker poly may create a mess.

OP, why not call a floor guy to come in and give you an estimate to refinish it the way you want to and see what he says?

 

[passedpawn]

Light woods, like maple, will get darker with age and when exposed to sun. I have maple floors and it is still blonde under rugs and furniture, but in the open areas it looks more like the color of pine.

 

[adriedel]

I think i will clear coat it. I dont want to mess it up and have to put new carpet down. Kind of ruins the point of taking it up in the first place.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

My advice, wait 18+ years until all your kids are grown and moved out, THEN start thinking about making the house look nice and having nice things.

Ha!

 

[neo71665]

My advice, wait 18+ years until all your kids are grown and moved out, THEN start thinking about making the house look nice and having nice things.

As the father of a 6 y/o who just ripped up the carpet and replaced with hardwood I agree. Those nice and pretty floors lasted 2 weeks I think. When he's a teen he'll discover the joy of sanding and finish floor work. That is if I don't kill him first, acts too much like his grandfather's son.

 

[passedpawn]

The number one enemy of my hardwood floors is my wife's high heels. The incredible pressure created under the heels will leave dents everywhere. I suggest having a rule forbidding those.

 

[kaurigum2]

Im having a baby in a couple months and want to get rid of my carpet. My wife also wants to make the hardwood a little darker. I was wondering if there is anyway to do that without sanding the floor. Its not in bad shape. Any help to save me from having to sand the floor would be great.

Thanks

I have been floor sanding for 12 years. In New Zealand we use a brand of stains called wattyl, I recommend you spend the $$ and get it done properly with a solvent based polyurethane on top of the stain. If you want it to last then maybe go down the track of using a marine grade urethane. Re sealing is ultimately going to de laminate over time. Do it once and do it right

 

[johnbrown86]

Wood floor color can help you. You can use grit for refinishing.

 

[Pkrd]

The number one enemy of my hardwood floors is my wife's high heels.

I really think we need some pictures in this thread.

 

[homebrewer_99]

If you don't strip it to bare wood the stain is NOT reaching the wood...it basically becomes a tinted clear coat.